Shielding Aubree (The Shield #1)

Chapter 18

18

A ubree felt the air begin to cool around her and hoped that it might throw him off his game.

It was certainly starting to affect her.

Normally, she just moved around and warmed herself up.

Activity was always something she used to keep herself warm and focused.

Sitting on the ground beside the lookalike NMPD cruiser was almost the exact opposite of where she wanted to be.

In the trunk she had the shield of the body of the car and the trunk to keep wind off of her skin.

Sitting beside the car, her back propped up against the wheel of the cruiser she was at the mercy of most of the elements.

He looked up at her from the pocket sized notebook in his hands when her teeth chattered.

"What else can you tell me about the case that the FBI is building against me?"

Aubree hesitated, trying to come up with a fact pattern that she could share that was close enough to reality that he might believe it, but not so close that he might learn from their investigation. If she wasn't able to get away from him, she didn't want to make it easier for him to evade law enforcement in the future.

She didn't want to think like that. That she wasn't going to get away.

But without her phone...

Without cameras in this area of the state and a lack of traffic, the chances that anyone would happen along?

She felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach.

"Hello?"

He swatted his hand across her cheek, rocking her head to the side. It didn't hurt all that much, but it certainly got her attention.

"I need information, officer."

"Yeah, buddy," she grumbled under her breath, "we all need something."

CRACK

This time he'd slapped her and put some force behind it.

She glared up at him.

"Don't back talk me." He snarled. "You're supposed to be the good person."

She could have kept quiet or made some sort of innocuous comment, but her anger and her desperation were making it difficult to hold herself together.

"The good person?" She scoffed at him. "I've been the good person," she drew in a lung full of breath and glared at him, "and just where did that get me?"

She leaned to the side and tried to lift her bound arms enough that he could see them. "Taped up in the middle of nowhere with a wannabe cop trying to get information so he doesn't get put in prison for life."

She breathed into the silence between them and waited to see what her outburst was going to get her.

"You think I want to be like you?" The incredulous tone of his voice became a shout. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Why?" She knew she was riding the edge of her fear, but it also gave her some courage as well. "You're here quizzing me on your file because you want to keep out of trouble? With all the time you've spent stalking women and killing them, you could have earned a master's degree in forensic science! You could be working for the 'good guys' and getting recognition for what you do instead of slinking around hoping to hide your dark deeds and live free to kill again. If this isn't about wanting to be in law enforcement, then I don't know what we're doing here."

He fisted his hands and glared at her. "I can step in and out when I want. I don't need to follow the rules like you have to."

"Sure, but you're also just lying to yourself and everyone around you. You have to worry about leaving behind evidence and being caught. Why not just do good instead of wasting all of your time being the bad guy."

He shook his head. "I bet you believe that anyone can be good. I bet you think you could turn me in, and I'd be rehabilitated."

"Me?" She shook her head. "I don't think you could. Not now.

"If you'd sought help before notching half a dozen deaths to your belt, maybe. But who's going to trust you now."

"Who the fuck cares about trust?"

She swallowed and the pain lanced through her shoulders because her hands were bound together with tape.

Aubree lifted her chin to stare at him. "You do."

He didn't move or even acknowledge that he'd heard her, but she wasn't about to stop now. She had to give herself time.

She had to hold onto hope.

Those were the only two things she could grasp at the moment. It wasn't just her hands and feet that were bound, it was her spirit, too.

Ruben couldn't trust himself to help create the plan to save Aubree.

He needed to know that she was going to be okay but if he was allowed anywhere near the operation to get her back, he might be a detriment to the safety of others around him.

They were close enough that they could see the scene thought high-powered binoculars, but it would likely take a miracle to get officers or military close enough on foot to do anything without being spotted.

They'd already discussed using the fake cruiser as cover, but the ground was dry enough that dust might end up in the air.

However, if they could wait until the sun fell below the horizon it might work.

The trouble was. Did they have enough time to wait?

"One of the best things we have for our benefit is the never-ending stretch of rock between us at the car."

"The seemingly never-ending stretch," Antonio added in.

The officer sitting on the back bumper of the SWAT vehicle nodded. "For most, looking at the lay of the land they would think it was flat, but because of the different colors and hues of the dirt and rocks, even the brush growing across the land, there are shallow ruts in the dirt and rocks that can allow for people to sneak up closer."

"Can?" Drake leaned against the side of the truck beside the bumper. "Do we have a geological survey of the area?"

Tiny put a finger up into the air. "Ryleigh can get us maps via the satellites above us."

The officer with the NMPD lifted his gaze up toward the sky. "I'm not going to worry how you're going to get your hands on that."

"Just the digital files," Tiny explained. "She can drop it into anyone's phone here."

The officer shook his head. "I'd like to say that my primary concern here would be to preserve our ability to prosecute the kidnapper," he looked around, "but I can see from a quick survey of the group that wouldn't be the answer for everyone here. Let's get those maps and start figuring out how we're going to get our officer back. Hoyt?"

One of the SWAT team looked up. "Sir?"

"How close do we need to get you to do your thing?"

"My rifle, sir? Weather's good today. Eight hundred meters is a good bet."

"Good, then let's get Hoyt within eight hundred."

Aubree knew that she was getting under his skin. His cold, calculated attitude from before were weakening. "You can ask me anything you want about the file, but you have to know that anything I say would be suspect."

"I'd think you'd want to make me happy. Give yourself a chance to survive."

"You just want the kill," she pressed on. "You want the numbers. I can see that you also want the FBI to know you're better than they give you credit for."

He smiled. "Maybe I ought to visit Special Agent Aparicio personally. She's gotten the closest so far."

She nodded. "And you're asking me for her information. Information that I might not want to give you. As much as you want to inspire fear and make the most out of your... skills. So do I." She tilted her head one way and then the other, shrugging her shoulders while she worked at the tape around her wrists. "What would it be like for me to do my duty while I was captured and threatened? When they find out that I found a way to keep pertinent information from you? What a name I'd make for myself."

He sneered at her, a muscle tensing in his jaw.

"You could have a name for yourself, Officer Cueva, but you'd be dead." He nodded. "What do you have to say to that?"

"These days you'd go down before you end up in court to tell your story. Suicide by cop. It's not like you'd get a chance to go to trial. You're not going to get the kind of coverage that Ted Bundy got. Back then a serial killer was something special."

"And now?" He lifted his chin and looked down at her. "I'd still make the news. They wouldn't want to kill me before the trial. People like a good trial. The prosecutors want to make a name for themselves as well. They'll want to get me on the stand, and I'd want to tell the story.

"No death penalty here in New Mexico but it would still make the news everywhere. People will want to know about me."

"Dime a dozen these days," she lifted her chin at him, mimicking his own gesture. "You'll be lucky to make a true crime podcast after a few months. If you want to be special. You'd have to-"

"Why don't you shut the fuck up!"

He rushed her and grabbed her throat, slamming her down to the ground with a speed she regretted.

She'd pushed, wanting to distract him.

She just hadn't expected him to react this fast.

If she lived long enough, she'd have to learn more about her interrogation skills.

"Don't you fucking smile!"

He lifted her up by her throat and slammed her back down to the ground. The dirt was hard packed with rock likely a few inches beneath.

"DO NOT PUSH ME!"

Her head ached at the heavy contact with the ground and the pain made the edges of her vision sparkle and flare.

Stars.

They looked like stars.

Aubree heard a chirp of sound and her lips pressed together.

The sound was... familiar in a way.

How?

She didn't know.

Maybe it was just another part of her memory loss.

CHIRP

There it was again.

She couldn't help but smile.

"Damn it!"

His fingers tightened around her throat and she tried to lift and turn her head, pulling away as she could.

But it didn't work.

She tried to kick out her legs, but couldn't her ankles still wrapped with tape.

The strain on her back sent pain stabbing through her spine.

The sky above her darkened at the pin pricks of light around the edges of her vision multiplied and started to fill the sky around her.

Darkness was bleeding in.

"W-wait."

She needed time.

"W-"

His hand lifted away from her throat, and she gasped in air like a fish. "Not so high and mighty anymore."

"I," she swallowed against the pain. "I'm a simple girl." Her voice was barely there. "I just want to live."

His smile was more of a snarl. "Then you should learn to be nice."

She didn't have the ability to lie that convincingly with the anger crawling through her veins, so she kept quiet.

She could tell it wasn't what he wanted exactly, but at least he didn't choke her again.

"Good," he leaned over her, "you might not want to be nice, but at least you could learn to shut up once in a while."

He leaned over her grasping her face with his hand.

"Or maybe now you're ready to tell me what I want to know."

He was stronger than he looked.

"I could make it quick for you when it's time. Or I could go outside my usual interests and make things really painful. I wouldn't need to make it look like an accident."

The encroaching darkness made it easier to get more people in closer.

They were approaching from three different directions, going in for the kill.

Antonio had stayed back at the SWAT truck, holding his wife and son close while Ruben and some of the other men from the Refuge were making their way closer, working amongst the SWAT team. No, they weren't there officially, but they weren't exactly going to sit back on their hands and wait.

One of the SWAT team ahead held up his hand and their group stopped.

"Take a look." Leaning back, lowering his voice, the SWAT team member handed his binoculars to Ruben. "Things just got a little more interesting."

Ruben didn't have any idea what he was looking for, but once he saw it, there was no doubt what the SWAT officer had seen.

A mountain lion was creeping toward the car, the killer, and Aubree.

Ruben's faith was already tense and strained.

Putting a wild animal into the mix?

He closed his eyes and opened them back up again.

A mountain lion?

Aubree was convinced that she was losing her mind.

Birds chirping in the cool hours of night.

She had no idea what kind of bird would be calling out at this time of day.

Or why they'd be doing it.

And she had no idea how she was going to get out of this danger.

Earlier in the day she'd been thinking of Ruben and spending time with him away from prying eyes.

Away from the constant waiting for an attack.

Now, she was on her back in the dust, her neck aching from this man's painful grip. And Ruben?

Where did he think she was?

What did he think she was doing?

She fought off the painful stab of panic at the idea that she might never see him again.

No, she didn't want panic.

She needed to stave it off.

The last thing she needed was to be locked down in full panic mode.

She had to keep her wits about her.

So she could go home.

Something moved in the darkness. There was still a hint of purple in the sky

"What are you looking at?"

Aubree didn't know if she could explain it, because she didn't understand it, not really.

A mountain lion.

Moving through the shadows on its way toward her.

Or rather, toward them.

Hoyt.

The sniper.

Ruben watched him as he set up in the twilight darkness and listened as the SWAT team talked over their plans.

"If we have to prioritize one target-"

"The man." Another one of the SWAT team had a hard look in his eyes. "The sound is likely to scare off the cat."

Hoyt shrugged. "The cat is more... unpredictable."

"If you shoot the cat, the man could still put the hostage between himself and danger." He hissed out a breath. "We could lose her anyway."

Ruben heard Aubree's words in his head.

"... my brother, Diego... I saw him in the eyes of the mountain lion who laid down beside me in that wreck."

Ruben reached forward and grabbed Hoyt's arm.

The sniper turned his head in Ruben's direction.

"The man." Ruben dropped his chin in a nod. "The lion isn't a threat."

Hoyt's eyes narrowed on him. "You some kind of animal whisperer?"

Ruben felt a kind of calm come over him as he thought over his words. He very well could be wrong, but he had a feeling he was right.

That Aubree was right.

"If I'm wrong," Ruben shook his head once, "I'll take the full blame for it, but I'm... I'm not wrong."

Hoyt fixed him with a look. "The chief said you're dating Aubree?"

Ruben's gaze only strengthened. "I love her."

Hoyt managed a hint of a smile. "Then you can be my eyes, man." Hoyt blew out a breath and turned toward the rifle he had set up. "Let's hope you made the right choice."

A noise in the darkness must have startled him because before Aubree could say a word, he turned and pointed his gun into the darkness.

He cast a look over his shoulder at her for a millisecond before turning back. "You got a message out? You called in the FBI?"

She felt a little giddy at his words.

It sounded crazy, didn't it?

Then again, it sounded even crazier to tell herself that the mountain lion heading toward her wasn't exactly a mountain lion. At least, she wasn't quite sure what it was.

"I asked you a question!"

She could hear the intensity in his words and felt the bite of his hand into her ankle.

Before she knew what was going on, he gave her ankle a good hard yank and she was suddenly on her back and dragged along the rocky ground. He leaned over and practically spit in her face. "Who the fuck is out there?"

Ruben felt his heart freeze in fear. One second Aubree was a few feet away from the killer and then she was practically under him.

Hoyt swore under his breath. "What the fuck is going on?"

Peering through the binoculars, Ruben saw the cat advancing.

"I think he's afraid. The killer. I don't think he can see the cat, but he knows someone is out there."

Hoyt's brow furrowed over the bridge of his nose. "Some one ?"

Ruben nodded. "Some one . Are you ready?"

Hoyt shrugged his shoulder and settled in behind the rifle. "I'm always fucking ready."

"Who?" How he managed to hold her down and shake her at the same time, she'd never know, but he did it, nonetheless. "Who the fuck is out there?"

His spittle hit her face even though she turned away.

"How did you get someone to help you?"

His fingers clamped down around her throat and let go a few seconds later leaving her gasping for breath.

The next full breath brought back her memories in a heady rush. One moment she had a big hole in her head and suddenly she had all of her memories back.

Total recall.

He couldn't know that, but then again, he didn't care about her, just his own horrifying plans. "Who the hell are you that you're so fucking lucky?"

"Lucky?" She felt a kind of anger... outrage that coursed through her veins. "You left me for dead the last time. Don't you remember that? I remember you now." She was seething, the muscles along the sides of her neck, straining against his fingers. "You left me to die, but I wasn't alone then."

She smiled when his eyes narrowed at her, but she still felt the painful bite of his fingers into her skin.

"You want to know who is out there in the darkness?" She swallowed and gasped as she fought against the pain he was inflicting on her.

Aubree turned her head and looked into the darkness that surrounded them.

She saw the lowered head of the mountain lion padding through the brush. She saw the flex of his muscles under his sleek coat. When his mouth pulled back in a silent snarl, she swore she saw him wink an eye.

Yes, she was definitely losing her mind.

But it was better, she reasoned, than losing her life.

The lion crouched, his body filled with tension like a spring.

Aubree turned to the man who was determined to add her to his list of kills and smiled.

The sudden change in her mood seemed to shock him.

He froze, his fingers loosening just a little.

She swore she could see his mind working, trying to piece it all together.

She wished him luck with that, because she herself had no idea what the hell was going on.

"Say hello to my brother."

He stared at her, several emotions colliding on his face.

And then, she saw the fear.

And the blur of movement across her face.